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Sharpening a Nakiri

I have a Tosagata Nakiri that I picked up from Japanewoodworker a while back and the blade was rather wavy when I got it. Since then, the blade has also gotten some micro chips too, so I am about to put a new edge on it and get rid of both the waves and chips.

About a year ago on KF, I think Dave said that I should use the stone lengthwise when tackling the nakiri's blade.

Below is a video of a guy sharpening a cleaver, and (criticisms of this guy's sharpening aside) is this roughly the method that would work best?

Yeah, I realize there are a lot of errors with this guy and I can sharpen a nakiri like any other knife, but if I am trying to even out a really wavy edge, can this type of stroke along the length of the stone help reduce the 'wave'? Once the edge is corrected, I would sharpen it as any other knife.

That is a variation on the technique that Dave described a few years ago. Instead of flipping the cleaver, with the handle above the stone, I switch between my right and left hand. Cleavers with their width and extra weight, can be difficult to sharpen, especially at a low angle, at least it is for me. The Dave method, allows you to concentrate on the angle and following the edge of the knife. The edge on a cleaver is relatively flat, so there is not much to follow.

I'd think for what you are looking to accomplish, that this technique would be the easiest way to do it.

Ahh, I understand what you are getting at. Yes, I've done something similar to set the back-bevel on a slicing cleaver and make it nice and even. Is your bevel wavy (inconsistent angle) or the actual edge? If you take this wide bevel all the way to the edge and the edge is truly wavy, you might end up with a hole in the edge where it does not contact the board.

Nakiri is one of the easiest knives to sharpen, IMO. You don't need to do anything different than you normally would with any other knife. The only reason people sometimes use a different technique on a cleaver is because of how tall the blade is, and that it can make it harder to hold a consistent angle.

A nakiri isn't going to present the angle control problems that a cleaver does so it can be sharpened like you would any other knife. Now if the blade needs repair, for me, it's best to run it lengthwise down the stone as this presents more contact area between stone and steel which makes the process both steadier and more productive. If you've got a kuriochi finish you might want to consider hanging this part of the blade off of the stone to keep from scuffing this finish away. In this case you're using the edge length of the stone. Just a couple of tips that help me do this easier.

I use my Edge Pro Apex to sharpen my Hattori HD Nakiri -- about the easiest of any of my knives to sharpen on the EP due to its more-or-less consistent width and shape.

A friend of mine has the EP and says it is really nice for reprofiling. I bet it would be a breeze, but for me, I will have to start with my 'rocks' and put in the time. Someone on Chowhound has the same knife and had a similar issue and it took quite a while to get the edge even on stones. Oh well...I look at it as good practice until I get an EP or KMG grinder.